Loyola University Maryland will play the first of two-straight games against Baltimore-area teams on Monday, November 26, when Towson University visits Reitz Arena for a 7:30 p.m. game.

The game is the return contest from the February 2011 matchup featuring the Greyhounds and Tigers that was part of Bracketbuster weekend.

Series History

Loyola and Towson will meet for the 71st time when they take the court on Monday night. The series is the second most-played in Loyola history, behind only Mount St. Mary’s, a team the Greyhounds will face for the 169th time next month.

Loyola holds a 43-27 advantage in the all-time series after winning the February 29, 2011, meeting, 75-57, on the Tigers’ home court. Despite that win for Loyola, Towson has won four of the last six meetings between the two programs.

In the 2011 meeting, then-junior J’hared Hall led five Loyola players in double figures, as the Greyhounds went up 18 at halftime and never trailed in the game. Hall scored 19, while then-sophomore Robert Olson tallied 16 on 5-of-9 shooting, 4-of-6 from 3-point range. Erik Etherly added 12, and Dylon Cormier had 10.

Last Time Out

Loyola led just four times in the first 39 minutes of regulation, and the Greyhounds held the advantage my no more than two points on Friday night at Rhode Island. Down three after two Xavier Munford free throws with 17 seconds left, Robert Olson swished a three from the left side with 3.7 ticks on the clock, tying the score at 50-50 and forcing overtime.

Olson and Jordan Latham combined for seven of Loyola’s eight points in the extra period, and the Greyhounds held Rhode Island to just 1-of-8 from the field in overtime, as Loyola pulled away for a 58-54 win in Kingston, R.I.

Olson led all players with 20 points, while Erik Etherly had his first double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Olson Comes Up Big

Robert Olson scored 20 points on Friday night at Rhode Island, coming up one shy of his career-high in scoring (21 at Iona in January 2012 and at Marist in January 2011).

The senior guard made eight field goals, tying his career-high, and his 16 field-goal attempts represented a career-high. He was good from 4-of-9 behind the arc, also the most 3-pointers he’s attempted in a game, and his 39 minutes were the most he’s played since coming to Loyola.

Olson has now scored 20 or more five times as a Greyhound, the last coming when he recorded 21 at Iona on January 13, 2012. He tallied 20 on two occasions and 21 once as a sophomore in 2010-2011. All four of his previous 20 or 21 point games came in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference action, and all but one of his five have come on the road.

His game-tying three at Rhode Island was the second of his Loyola career that sent a game to overtime. He nailed a three, also from the left side, against Iona on January 30, 2011, to tie the game a 78-78 with 7.2 seconds on the clock in a game the Greyhounds would win, 88-85, in overtime

Latham Looms Large

Jordan Latham had one of his better games as a collegian on Friday night at Rhode Island, playing a career-high 27 minutes off the bench before fouling out midway through overtime.

Latham scored a career-best nine points and also had five rebounds, an assist and a block, and he was at his best late in the tight game.

He scored the first three Loyola points of overtime, on a layup and a free throw, after the Rams had jumped out to a 53-50 lead in the extra frame.

Doubling Up

Erik Etherly had his first double-double of the 2012-2013 season, the 14th of his career at Loyola. The Preseason MAAC Player of the Year scored 11 points and had 10 rebounds at Rhode Island.

He leads the team with an 8.0 rebounds per game mark and is second with 15.7 points per game. He is also tops on the team with 10 blocks and 10 steals so far this season.

Late Game Heroics

Loyola’s last two games, both wins, have each come down to the last four seconds of regulation (and then some).

On November 18, Albany tied the game with 3.1 ticks on the clock, Loyola Head Coach Jimmy Patsos set up an inbound play in a timeout. Graduate student Anthony Winbush threw a baseball pass 80 feet to Dylon Cormier who was inside the opposite foul line. Cormier caught the pass, laid it in with his right hand and was fouled in the process by Albany’s D.J. Evans with 1.5 seconds left.

Cormier made the free throw to provide the final margin, and Albany’s inbound pass went off the hands of Evans and out-of-bounds to secure the win.

Robert Olson then sank a 3-pointer with 3.7 on the clock at Rhode Island to force overtime where the Greyhounds would win by four.

Need To Get Back To The Boards

After the first three games of the season, Loyola was outrebounding teams by an average of nine per game thanks to +14 and +17 performances against Binghamton and UMBC, respectively.

However, the Greyhounds have been outrebounded in each of their last three games by seven (Norfolk State), four (Albany) and five (Rhode Island), an average of 5.5 per game.

Erik Etherly is the only Loyola player to be rebounding at a better clip during the last three games, pulling down an average of 8.7 per game in those three after starting the year averaging 7.3 in the first trio.

Taking Care Of The Ball

Loyola had just six turnover in the win at Rhode Island on November 23 with no player committing more than one. The six were the fewest the Greyhounds have committed since they had only five in the 2010-2011 season-opener on November 12, 2010, at Drexel.

As a team, the Greyhounds are averaging 11.3 miscues per game this season through six games.

Winbush Distributing

In his first three games back this season, graduate student Anthony Winbush has already moved into a tie with Dylon Cormier and Robert Olson for the team lead in total assists (12). Winbush is averaging four per game after dishing out five in each of the last two.

His five assists against both Albany and Rhode Island have tied his career-high, a number he previously reached just once (in a January 22, 2012, win over Saint Peter’s at home).

Steady Performance

Erik Etherly turned in another 20-point game, his second of the season, against Albany, scoring 23 points on 7-of-12 from the floor and 9-of-12 at the line. He also tied Anthony Winbush for team-high honors with seven rebounds.

Etherly had his second 20-plus point game of the week and the young season after recording 22 in Loyola’s Wednesday-night win over UMBC on November 14.

He has now scored 20 or more six times during his tenure at Loyola – hitting or eclipsing the plateau four times last year – and the Greyhounds are 6-0 in those games.

In Loyola’s three wins that week, including a Saturday victory over Norfolk State in which he scored 12 and had nine rebounds, Etherly averaged 19.0 points and 8.0 rebounds. He made 22-of-28 (.786) free throws, as well, during the stretch.

Cormier Continues Efficiency

Dylon Cormier made the most of his shots during the first game of the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament. He converted on 7-of-11 shots, while making 5-of-7 at the free-throw line to score a game-high 19 points.

The junior guard followed that with a 5-of-9 shooting performance against Albany to score 16. In the two games at Mohegan Sun Arena, Cormier shot 60-percent from the field, raising his season average to 50.8-percent (32-of-63).

Steady improvement in shooting percentage has been Cormier’s trait since coming to Loyola. He shot 37.9-percent to average 8.1 points as a freshman in 2010-2011 and improved to 46.1-percent and 13.4 points per game last year. This season, his 46.1-percent mark has translated to an 16.8 points average.

Slowing Scorers

Albany guards Mike Black and Jacob Iati entered the November 18 game averaging a combined 34.75 points per game, but Loyola held the duo to just 18, including three on Iati’s desperate heave to tie the game with 3.1 seconds left.

Black, who was averaging 18.25 points in four games was 3-of-8 from the field and scored seven points, while Iati went 3-of-7 after averaging 16.5 prior. They also committed eight turnovers in the game.

In the game following Albany’s contest against Loyola – Tuesday at South Carolina State – Black went off for 23 points, making 9-of-11 shots. As a team, the Great Danes set a NCAA Division I record in that game by making 15 3-pointers, although they hit just five versus Loyola.

Hubbard Honored

Redshirt freshman guard Tyler Hubbard was named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Rookie of the Week last Monday after averaging 10.3 points in three Loyola wins last week.

Hubbard scored a career-high 17 on Wednesday night against UMBC and followed with 11 versus Norfolk State. While he scored just three in the Albany game, he was involved in several key defensive possessions for the Greyhounds at the end of the game.

This season, Hubbard is fourth on the team with a 9.0 points per game average. He is shooting .500 from both 3-point range (12-of-24) and the field at large (15-of-30).

Defensive Stance

Loyola used a strong defensive presence in its win over Norfolk State. The Greyhounds forced 19 turnovers, 11 coming via Greyhounds’ steals, a season-high. Loyola also held Norfolk State to 35.8-percent from the field, 33.3-percent in the second half.

Anthony Winbush and Robert Olson each had three steals, and Dylon Cormier came up with a pair.

The Greyhounds also matched their season-high with eight blocked shots. Jordan Latham and Erik Etherly each swatted three, while Jarred Jones had the other two.

Guards Early, Posts Late

A pair of Loyola guards, Dylon Cormier and Tyler Hubbard, each scored first half against UMBC, and Robert Olson chipped in six, leading the Greyhounds to a 45-30 advantage at halftime over the Retrievers.

The Greyhounds then turned to the post in the second half where Erik Etherly scored 17 after the break en route to a team-high 22. He made 5-of-8 from the field, including stepping out for his first three of the season, and 6-of-6 from the free-throw line in the second half.

Jarred Jones added seven second-half points, knocking down both his shots form inside and going to the line for 3-of-4.

Freshmen Produce

A trio of Loyola freshmen combined for 34 points and 15 rebounds against UMBC, as Tyler Hubbard (a redshirt freshman) scored 17, while Jarred Jones and Franz Rassman had eight and nine.

The group also had five assists, six blocked shots and four steals in the win.

Combined the three played 70 minutes against the Retrievers.

Jones Making Early Impact

Freshman Jarred Jones has started the first five games of his collegiate career and made a difference on the court for the Greyhounds. A two-time All-Metro honoree by The Baltimore Sun at John Carroll High School, Jones scored nine points and had six rebounds on Sunday evening at Washington. He followed that with a box-score filling nine points, five rebounds, three blocks, three steals and two assists versus UMBC.

In his first game, he debuted with just one point, but he filled several box-score categories in his effort. Jones tallied three rebounds and two each of blocked shots, steals and assists.

Hubbard From Behind The Line

Tyler Hubbard knocked down all but one of his 3-point attempts against UMBC and has made 8-of-17 this season from long distance. He scored a career-best 17 points against the Retrievers and also had two assists and a steal.

His 12 3-pointers made lead the team, and he is fourth on the squad in scoring with a 9.0 points per game average.

In his collegiate debut against Binghamton, he made 4-of-9 shots, 3-of-7 from 3-point range, and finished the night with 11 points in his collegiate debut. In the process, he became the first player to reach double figures in his first collegiate game since Jawaan Wright came off the bench to score 10 on November 19, 2005, against Towson University.

Brooks’ Big Game

Julius Brooks provided 20 solid minutes in the post off the bench for the Greyhounds, recording eight points and a game-high seven rebounds versus Binghamton. Those numbers were not career-highs for the senior, but they were the best he’s put up in some time.

Brooks saw limited action in 29 games last season, averaging just 4.7 minutes per game, but matched his career-high with 28 minutes. His eight points were his most since scoring a career-best 10 on January 31, 2010, as a freshman, and his seven boards were his high since February 25, 2011, when he had eight. Both of those games came against Niagara University.

At Washington, he scored five, had a pair of rebounds, an assist and a blocked shot against the Huskies.

He made his first start since February 2010, his freshman season, on Wednesday night against UMBC.

MAAC Preseason Poll & Player of the Year

The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference unveiled its preseason coaches’ poll and the league’s Preseason Player of the Year on Friday night in a live Preseason Awards Show on ESPN3. Loyola was named the team to beat in 2012-2013, and Erik Etherly was tabbed the Preseason Player of the Year by the coaches. (Complete poll and All-MAAC teams at left).

This is the first time Loyola has been selected No. 1 in the MAAC preseason poll in 24 years in the league, nor had a Greyhound player been named Preseason Player of the Year prior to Etherly.

Three Loyola players were named to the various Preseason All-MAAC teams as voted on by the coaches of the league.

Erik Etherly earned an All-MAAC First Team nod, while Dylon Cormier and Robert Olson were named to the Second Team.

Classy Senior

Senior guard Robert Olson was named one of 30 candidates for the prestigious Senior CLASS Award last week. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.

Olson was the Greyhounds’ third-leading scorer last season with 11.1 points per game and enters this season Loyola ranked fourth at Loyola in 3-point percentage (138-of-336, .4107) sixth in career 3-pointers made (138) and eighth in 3-pointers attempted (336). Last season, Olson was one of four Loyola players to earn All-MAAC honors, picking up Third Team mention and later All-Tournament honors.

High Marks

The Loyola men’s basketball team scored the highest amongst squads in the State of Maryland in the most recent NCAA Graduation Success Rate report. The Greyhounds checked in with a 91-percent GSR, tops among the state’s nine Division I schools, for players who entered the school between 2002-2005.

Saint Peter’s Game At The Meadowlands

The Loyola-Saint Peter’s Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference game slated for Saturday, December 8, has been moved from the Peacocks’ Jersey City campus to the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, N.J., at the Meadowlands complex.

The Greyhounds and Peacocks will tip-off at 12 noon prior to the second game of the doubleheader between Duke and Temple.

Second NCAA Trip

Last year, Loyola made its first trip to the NCAA Tournament in 18 seasons, a span of 17 years, 11 months and 23 days. In all, it was 6,569 days between NCAA Tournament Games for the Greyhounds.

Last year’s true freshmen – Tyler Hubbard and R.J. Williams – were less than one year old the last time Loyola played in an NCAA match.

MAAC Title

Loyola won its second MAAC Championship in 23 years in the conference on Monday, March 5, 2012, defeating Fairfield University, 48-44, in the lowest scoring championship game in league history.

The Greyhounds held Fairfield to just six second-half field goals and 28.8-percent shooting in the game.

Loyola, which finished second in the conference during the regular season and earned the No. 2 seed in the league tournament, defeated Niagara University and Siena College in the MAAC Quarterfinals and Semifinals, respectively.

Turnaround…Check

Loyola completed the turnaround from finishing the 2003-2004 season with the lowest RPI in NCAA Division I basketball. The Greyhounds finished that season with a 1-27 record the season before Jimmy Patsos took over as head coach.

Since then, Loyola has gone 122-123 and culminated the turnaround by winning a school Division I record 24 games in 2011-2012.

Patsos is one of only three coaches at the Division I level in the last 20 years to take over a program that had won zero or one game the year prior to then win 100 games at the school. He joins Steve Cleveland (BYU) and Pat Douglass (UC-Irvine) as the others.

Patsos Named Coach & Man Of The Year

Jimmy Patsos became the first Loyola coach to earn The Rock/Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Coach of the Year honors by a vote of his peers in the league.

Patsos guided the Greyhounds to a school Division I high 24 wins and a program MAAC record 13 victories. He earned his 100th career coaching victory in November 2012 and led the Greyhounds to the No. 2 seed in the MAAC Championships.

Later in March, Patsos was named the Skip Prosser Man of the Year award for his work on and off the court, an honor presented by CollegeInsider.com.

2012 All-MAAC Honors

For the first time since the league expanded to three All-MAAC teams in 1998, four Greyhounds received all-league honors, topping all teams in the conference. Erik Etherly was named to the All-MAAC First Team, Dylon Cormier to the Second, and Justin Drummond and Robert Olson to the Third.

Loyola led all teams in the MAAC with its four selections, just in front of Iona’s three.

The Greyhounds’ previous high was at the end of the 1997-1998 season when Mike Powell (1st), Jason Rowe (2nd) and Roderick Platt (3rd) earned All-MAAC honors.

Etherly led Loyola in scoring (13.7), rebounding (7.5) and blocked shots (50), while finishing second on the team with 63 assists. He shot .530 from the field, good for third in the conference

Cormier was second on the team in scoring, just back of Etherly, with a 13.4 points per game average while improving his field-goal percentage nearly 10 points from his freshman season to .461 as a sophomore.

Drummond has come off the bench in 29 of the Greyhounds’ 33 games last year and is fourth on the team with 11.1 points per game. The guard as also third in rebounding (3.9), and he has scored in double figures 17 times this year.

Olson was one of the top 3-point shooters in the conference last year. He shot .431 from behind the arc, third-best in the MAAC, and averaged 11.1 points per game. The guard entered the month of January averaging less than nine points per game, but from that point forward, he was the team’s second-leading scorer at nearly 13 a contest.

Century Mark

Head Coach Jimmy Patsos became the third coach in Loyola history to win 100 games when the Greyhounds defeated UMBC, 73-63, on the road last season. Patsos, who is now in his ninth season, took over a team that finished 1-27 during the 2002-2003 season. He won his 100th game in his 215th career game.

Last season, Patsos moved into third-place all time at Loyola in victories, trailing only Lefty Reitz (349 wins, 1937-44, 1945-61) and Nap Doherty (165, 1961-74).

Loyola All-Time Coaching Wins List

1.

349

Lefty Reitz

1937-1944, 1945-1961

2.

165

Nap Doherty

1961-1974

3.

127

Jimmy Patsos

2004-present

4.

85

Mark Amatucci

1982-1989

5.

72

Gary Dicovitsky

1976-1981

Baltimore Bred And More From Nearby

Since taking over as head coach in 2004, Jimmy Patsos has put an emphasis on recruiting locally, and it has never shown as much as on this year’s roster. Four players – junior guard Dylon Cormier (Cardinal Gibbons), junior forward Jordan Latham (City) and sophomore guard R.J. Williams and freshman forward Josh Forney (St. Frances) are products of schools within the city limits.

Six more players played in high school within 50 miles of Loyola, as the crow flies (thanks daftlogic.com): Jarred Jones, John Carroll, 20.5; Tyler Hubbard, Montrose Christian, 32.6 miles; Robert Olson, Georgetown Prep, 33.9; Anthony Winbush, T.C. Williams, 43.7; and Erik Etherly, Annandale, 47.9.

What’s Next

Loyola stays in Baltimore for its next contest, a quick turnaround for a Wednesday night 7:30 p.m. tipoff at Coppin State University.

The Greyhounds then travel to Fort Myers, Fla., to face Florida Gulf Coast University on Saturday, December 1.